


Eddie Steps Up

by ozsaur



Category: Wanted (TV)
Genre: Choices, Fatherhood, Gen, Gift Fic, Holiday Fic Exchange, Oz Magi, Oz Magi 2009
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-15
Updated: 2010-01-15
Packaged: 2017-10-06 08:10:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/51533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ozsaur/pseuds/ozsaur
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You have to grow up eventually.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Eddie Steps Up

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sinewa](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=sinewa).



> Thank you dustandroses for the quick beta and beechercreature for the read through.

Eddie hadn't felt this nervous since the first time he got his hand up a girls skirt back in the tenth grade. He fumbled around with her panties trying to figure out how to get inside, until she shrieked, more from aggravation than outraged virtue, and smacked him across the chops.

The word 'butterflies' didn't begin to describe the creatures that were currently doing the River Dance in his gut. Eddie wondered if he'd feel better if he opened the car door to vomit in the gutter.

Taking a deep breath, he stared at the tidy little house some more, then reached up to touch the cross around his neck. It didn't feel comfortable, he's not a necklace wearing kind of guy, but the shape of it beneath the cotton of his t-shirt was reassuring.

"I'm doing this for you, Faye," he murmured, even though he knows it wasn't quite true. He wanted to do this; Faye simply gave him the guts to do it.

Keeping his eye on the front door, it felt like he was on a stake-out. Waiting and watching. The only difference was that Eddie was sitting right out front, and every once in a while the curtain in the window would twitch aside and a little face would peek out at him. He figured Irene wanted to make sure he was actually there and not driving off without her.

Just like every other stake-out, his cell phone rang. Checking the number, Eddie sighed.

"What do you want, Connie?"

"We finally have a lead on Doyle. The scumbag decided to come home for the holidays. You in?"

The nerves curdling his stomache turn to excitement. Doyle! They'd been after him for over a year now, but he'd managed to escape capture by fleeing the country. Eddie blamed himself for Doyle still being on the loose.

Since then, Eddie had done a million miles of legwork, interviewing Doyle's friends, family members, cellmates, and just about anyone who had ever glimpsed Doyle off in the distance. Eddie had gathered enough information on the man that he could fake being Doyle's brother and make his mother believe it.

"Where is he?" Eddie asked.

"He's holed up with an old friend from high school. The guy's wife called it in, said she didn't want her husband going to prison because of that asshole. You must have really made an impression on her since she kept the hotline number."

Eddie grinned. He'd made an impression all right, both on the wife and the couch that he'd nailed her on.

Eddie was about to put his car in gear when he spotted a motion from the house. There went the curtain again, flicked open to reveal a little girl waving at him. He felt his smile fade, but he waved back anyway.

"Look, Connie, you're on your own with this one."

"What are you talking about?" Connie demanded.

"You know why I took the weekend off, Connie. Irene is spending the weekend with me."

There was a long pause. "This is your case. We need you on this one, Eddie."

"No, you don't. Gronbeck has all my files. You'll do fine without me."

"We'll do better with you. You know Doyle inside and out. You even predicted he'd be stupid enough to come back."

Eddie scrubbed a hand through his hair. God knows, he wanted in on the bust and Connie was making it hard to say no.

Then Eddie thought about how often Connie had turned away from his own kids for the sake of the job. They loved Connie, but a child's forgiveness only went so far, and usually ended around puberty. Eddie considered himself lucky that Irene still wanted him. He touched Faye's cross and reminded himself that life was too fucking short. Anything could happen.

"Connie, I gotta go," Eddie said.

"Eddie-- !"

Eddie hung up just as the front door opened and Irene came flying out, pink suitcase in hand. Tossing the phone onto the back seat, Eddie got out of the car and crouched down, holding out his arms.

"Daddy!" she squealed, right in his ear. Her suitcase banged against Eddie's ribs as he grabbed her and picked her up.

He ignored the muffled ringing of his phone.

The End


End file.
